Translating 'Development'

This seminar aims to provide a forum for translators working in the area of development and NGOs to talk about their work, and to discuss the challenges that it involves. It will bring key translation studies specialists and trainers into dialogue with practitioners, and it will inform broader translation networks, including the ITI, about translation in the field of development.

Translation is an area that has been generally overlooked and underfunded in NGOs. Previous workshops at the University of Reading (2014) and Aston University (2015), in which NGO practitioners and translators from various organisations participated, highlighted the challenges the sector faces in using foreign languages in its work, and the need for research and collaboration in this area. Languages issues do not tend to have a high-profile within organisations. Formal language policies are often not in place, and translation needs are often under-funded.

Aiming to raise the profile and importance of translation in development, the ‘Translating Development’ seminar will for the first time bring together the different interest groups involved to think about what practical steps would support translation in and for NGOs, how practitioners might be networked together, and what implications their work has for future research and postgraduate translator training.

The seminar will be open to professional translators, NGO staff, academics, translator trainers, and MA students in Translation Studies.